The Auburn swimming and diving teams are headed to the SEC Championship once again.
Last season, the men won the conference title in Athens, Ga., with 784 total points.
The Florida Gators finished in second place with 765 points. It was the ninth consecutive time the two teams have finished in that order.
Needless to say, a bit of feisty competition has been brewing between the two programs.
Senior swimmer Kohlton Norys described it as a "bitter rivalry."
"It goes back and forth," Norys said.
Both the men and women were able to sink the Gators Friday evening in a back and forth contest, with the men's team winning 167-133 and the women's team winning 165-135.
"They have great swimmers and strong divers," said senior diver Dan Mazzaferro.
To add to the mix, the Tigers' win in Athens last year gave them 14 straight SEC championships, beating Florida's record of 13 straight, which they won from 1956 to 1968.
The Auburn women have won five of the last seven conference titles.
Despite Auburn's recent dominance, Florida has proven to be a formidable opponent.
The Florida women won conference titles in 2008 and 2010.
The Lady Gators also won the national title last season.
This year, the Tigers will have to fight for their 15th straight SEC championship in the Gators' own stomping grounds at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Natatorium in Gainesville, Fla.
There are more tough teams than the Gators, though.
Both the Georgia Bulldogs' and the Tennessee Volunteers' swimming teams are on the rise in conference play.
"You're always fighting to beat the best teams in the SEC," Mazzaferro said. "We have a team that is focused on one goal."
Second-year head coach Brett Hawke agreed with Mazzaferro, calling the men's and women's swimming and diving teams the hardest working group on campus.
"You just work on your technique," Mazzaferro said. "Then you build on that. You have to be consistent. It is part of making sure you win."
This is just one of many times that Hawke has been in a situation with the stakes so high.
He was co-head coach in 2009 when the men won the national title.
Hawke was also an assistant coach for the Brazilian team at the Olympics in 2008.
He was a two-time Olympian, has three Commonwealth Games medals and was a world championship finalist at the 2002 Pan Pacific Championships.
As a result, Hawke is used to the big stage.
The teams will arrive in Gainesville, Fla., Feb. 14.
SEC swimming competition begins Feb. 16, with the preliminary swimming competition at 10 a.m. and ending with the finals competition at 6 p.m.
Doors will open to the public starting at 9 a.m.
The competition continues each day until Sunday, Feb. 16.
The winners of the conference will then be announced when the final scores for all teams have been tallied.
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